


if time heals all scars

by aghostlywonderland



Series: ❁mcnamawyer❁ [1]
Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dating, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Recovery, Trauma, fear of water, nothing too jarring but it's there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22125175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aghostlywonderland/pseuds/aghostlywonderland
Summary: - if time heals all wounds, i pray for time to start soon.Veronica shows Heather her favourite place in the world, but it doesn't go quite so well as she planned.(rated t for themes of trauma and brief sexual references)
Relationships: Heather McNamara/Veronica Sawyer
Series: ❁mcnamawyer❁ [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1780327
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	if time heals all scars

**Author's Note:**

> an idea inspired by the fact that hmac definitely has a fear of water and you can't convince me otherwise. my first time putting my writing online, enjoy!
> 
> xx kyla
> 
> \- title/summary lyrics from "time heals all wounds" by the mae trio. <3

"But why?"  
"Because it's a surprise, sweetheart, that's how surprises work." Veronica pats Heather's thigh with one hand and keeps driving. She can't help but get caught up in her own thoughts on this road. She remembers being too small to see properly out of the windows of her dad's car the first time she was here, and coming back every summer. Bringing Martha, bringing her first boyfriend, bringing her cousins. But… no matter who comes here, it's her special place with Dad. She promised her older self at seven. She's sticking to it now. But there's nowhere else this pretty, it's only right the beautiful girl in the passenger side gets to see it.  
"We're here," she murmurs. "I'll help you, just a sec."  
She leads her right to the edge of the water and uncovers her eyes, watching her take everything in. "This is my favourite place in the whole wide world."  
"I love it."  
Veronica runs back up and leaves her phone and keys where they won't get wet. Heather follows.  
"You ever been swimming in a river?"  
"I didn't bring-"  
"I know," she grins. "I have spare dry clothes, you'll be fine."  
She doesn't seem fine. Veronica can't remember seeing her like this before. She's seen her laughing until it hurt and crying like the world was ending, seen her point at a dog and squeal baby, baby, look! and seen her with big worried eyes, bare feet on wet sidewalk, hey, what's going on, are you safe?. She's watched her breathe heavy and heard her beg and told her to be quiet for me, okay? and she's fought with her, seen her tear up even as she tries to keep shouting, break down and say she's sorry, please don't go. She's seen her sing her heart out and let her whisper in her ear, too shy to speak out loud, danced around the kitchen with her and fallen asleep together after.  
But this is new, this is terrified, pale as a ghost, wide eyed and trembling, looking like she actually thinks she might die. "Hey, you, uh… you know how to swim, right?"  
"Of course I know how to swim!" She sounds defensive, almost angry. "It's just-"  
She cuts her sentence before it can start and it's something she does know, almost too well. This is confessing something she didn't think she'd say, this is holding her heart out in her hands and showing her, this is I wanna be your girlfriend and did you mean it when you said that? because- and I love you, baby.  
"I'm scared."  
"Oh…"  
"Moving water, it- I can't… when- when I was four, we drove all the way to the beach, and it was the best, but then the wind picked up and the waves were taller than me and my mom said we'd have to get out for now because it wasn't safe but I still wanted to swim and I didn't understand and- and- my dad had to pull me out, I couldn't stand, I couldn't get back to the top, I thought I- I thought…"  
"Hey, it's okay, love. We can stay up here if you want. You should have told us, it would've been okay."  
"No, it- it makes me feel bad, like- like I need to grow up, they'll say I'm pathetic- my mom- she says I need to move past it."  
"Sweetheart, my darling, you're not pathetic. Never, not for anything. She's so, so wrong. Okay?"  
Heather says nothing, looking at the ground. "Okay?"  
"Okay," she says, ever so quiet, but she's half-smiling and blushing pink all over.  
"Good girl. What do you wanna do?"  
Her eyes light up and she gasps like she's just had the best idea ever. "Can- can I show you my favourite place?"  
Veronica smiles back. "Sure."  
"Come on, come on, come on!" she giggles.  
"I am!"  
"Can I drive?"  
"Yeah, sure."  
"Let's go, let's go, let's go!"  
She's incredible.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you liked it! if you did, let me know- it would make my day! :) you can find me on instagram @kylawoodarts


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